Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Patoka, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Patoka and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Patoka
- Astronomy & Satellites ...
- Whether using binoculars, a small telescope or the naked-eye, the Heavens-Above website can help you to find your way around the night-time sky. In addition to detailed sky charts, their website will help you find planets, asteriods, comets, satellites and their tracks across the sky.
- To give accurate results, Heavens-Above requires the latitude and longitude of your location. As a starting point, when we link to Heavens-Above, we pass this GPS location for Patoka:
- 38.753889, -89.095262
- Once you're on the Heavens-Above website, you can improve its accuracy by giving a more precise longitude and latitude as your actual position.
- The Heavens-Above Website, centered on Patoka
- Bird Watching ...
- We enjoy finding new spots for bird watching and we use the eBird website for local sighting reports and to help identify hotspots.
- The eBird website is organized on a county-by-county basis. We have selected Marion County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Marion County
- Since Patoka is near Fayette County and also Clinton County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Fayette County
- eBird sighting report for Clinton County
- Waymarking ...
- Looking for somewhere out of the ordinary? Find a unique place and want to share it with others? Then it's time to visit Waymarking.com:
- Waymark.com
Communities Also Named Patoka ...
We found two communities that share the name Patoka.
Within Illinois, the name Patoka is unique.
Beyond Illinois, we know of another two communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Arkansas
- Indiana
Curious and Interesting Names Near Patoka ...
As we travel, we always see a community with a name that gives pause. While there are names which are interesting or familiar, some catch our attention or strike our fancy. We always wonder about such a name. If time permits and the community is not too far, we'll usually try to make a side-trip.
- Boulder
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest) - Fairman
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairman
- Fairman is located in Marion County
- Harbor Light Bay
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harbor Light Bay have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harbor Light Bay
- Harbor Light Bay is located in Clinton County
- Hookdale
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest) - Junction City
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Junction City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Junction City
- Junction City is located in Marion County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 468 people
- Lester
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast) - Panorama Hills
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Panorama Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Panorama Hills
- Panorama Hills is located in Clinton County
- Pinhook ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north) - Pleasant Mound
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pleasant Mound have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Mound
- Pleasant Mound is located in Bond County
How Far From Patoka to ...
We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a village such as Patoka to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Patoka and extending to:
- Salem, which is the Seat of Marion County, lies 11 miles [17.7 km]<1> to the southeast. If you could walk a straight line from Patoka to Salem, with an average speed<3> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take five to six hours to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take nearly four hours.
- Springfield, which is the State Capital of Illinois, lies 77 miles [123.9 km] to the north northwest (NNW). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than two hours, a buggy would take most of three days and walking would take 5 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 648 miles [1,042.9 km] to the east (E). Driving would take just over a day, a buggy would take 26 days and walking would take 37 days.
- The shortest distance<4> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,389 miles [10,282.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,122 miles [11,461.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,001 miles [8,048.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Patoka. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of Illinois: https://illinois.gov
Footnotes ...
| <1> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Patoka) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Patoka. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.7539, Longitude: -89.0953 |
| <2> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <3> | While we have tried to pick reasonable speeds, the rate of travel is very theoretical - obstacles like fences, hills, lakes, river crossings and rest stops have been ignored. When we say 'Days' of travel, we're assuming 8 hours of travel per day. |
| <4> | The shortest line can be visualized by stretching a string on a Globe from Point A to Point B - this is known as a Great Circle Route. Where you might expect the shortest route from Patoka to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <5> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 315.357 degrees. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 311.948 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 310.102 degrees. |